please if anyone here has the automatic transmission ask you serviceman about the repair bulliten.some mazdas came out with faulty transmissions and mazda refuses to correct the problem. I bought a new mazda protege 5 in 2002 with 5 year 60, 000 mile extended power train warrenty.I only have 54,000 miles but the warranty is out over 3 months. my transmission went out last month and the repair bill was $1461.mazda knew about this problem and released a service bulliten on this problem.I have personally seen the service bulliten.my mechanic told me that some front wheel drive fords also have this same transmission.so please, if your mazda protege is still under warranty check with your serviceman about this.personally this had led me to the decision that I will never buy another mazdfa.

if anyone has an automatic transmission I hope you don't get stung. my tranny went out at 54,000 miles just after the warranty.my mechanic told me that mazda knew about this problem and a service bulliten was realeased. he also said some fords with front wheel drive had this same tranny.at 5 years and 54,000 miles this cost me $1461 out of my own pocket.I will never buy another mazda.

actually I think the TSB might be under ford. look for it under ford or mercury villiager. the guy who fixed my tranny said that some of the mazdas used ford transmissions. the ford he talked about was the front wheel drive van...can't remember the exact name of the car. I did see the service bulliten. I made him show it to me. the problem was explained to me to be the seals in the end cover I think. ruined the whole dang tranny. I saved the parts, they are in the back of my truck right now. also I'm looking at the mileage also...53,771. all mazdas weren't equipped with this tranny.google "mazda protege 5 transmission problems."

Ummm... Yeah the 626 used a ford tranny with accompanying problems. I'm pretty sure the Protege did not. Think you might want to investigate further. I had the stick in my 02, but I've never heard of issues with the auto.

There isn't anything at that site showing problems with the 2002 P5 automatic transmission. ???? Also, the Mercury Villager is a Nissan product and I've never heard of Mazda and Nissan sharing transmissions. I think the service guy has his facts all wrong.

In any case, it is still too bad that your tranny went. You mentioned leaking seals; did a lot of the fluid leak out, and the lack of fluid destroy the transmission?

Hello everyone I am new to this site I currently have a 2002 mazda protege 5 and all though this seems strage to me someone out there might make sense of it.... I recently put some subs and amp in my car I was in a hurry so I used the factory deck and just wired in the back speakers instead of going throught the deck I asked a few people they said that woule be cool I got the fure on the battery all that fun stuff.... Well two days later my heater stopped working now could they at all be connected or is that just a bad luck on my part the car has around 200 000k is it just time for a new heater...... If anyone could help i woule appreciate it more than you know

my third 2002 P5 ... Man, I love these cars! Do you mean you have three in your garage or that you've replaced the previous two with this one? Either way, this qualifies more than a love affair ... this is an obsession!

Nope-three in a row (with a very short unfortunate Camry episode in the middle). I wish I had three in my garage!

It was garaged all the time, so the paint is in really good shape. There is one scrape on the front bumper that the previous owner fixed with touch up paint. It is so minor that I am probably not going to get it fixed, and I am a stickler for those kinds of things. The interior is immaculate.

Yes, I am definitely obsessed with these cars.

I recently spent a week in Bermuda, and there were plenty of 323s running around. It looks really weird without the ground effects and bumpers, and in the other colors besides what we got. Very strange experience.

It just got even better. I was looking through the paperwork with the owners manual, and he kept all the receipts, the window sticker, etc. Plus he had an extended warranty with 6 mos left on it that I can transfer for $30. I usually think those warranties are worthless (they cover everything except what broke), but for $30 I can't go wrong.

I need some assistance here. I have your standard FM Transmitter to play my Nano iPOD through my car stereo, and it has horrible audio. I've went through 3 so far and each one has very poor sound quality. From what I've been reading, they're all like that.

I was just told that there's an iPOD adapter where you plug it into the changer port on back of the factory stereo, replacing the CD changer. It plays right through the speakers & not through a radio station.

I checked out Crutchfield.com for this adapter, and they're telling me that they don't have this adapter for my factory stereo for my 2002 Mazda Portege' 5.

Do you know if my factory stereo is compatible for this?Is there something else i can do?Are there actually good FM Transmitters out there that have great audio quality?

Hey everyone, I'm thinking of buying a used Protege 5, and have looked at a manual '03 with 55 000 kms, that I kinda fell in love with (despite never driving manual before) but is a little out of my price range. They are asking $10900 at the Mazda dealership, I managed to haggle down to $9500 but with their 'Protection Plan' fee still managed to add up to $11500. I'm also going to go look at a '02 automatic with approx 85000 km, he's asking $8900 and is a private sale so I'd avoid the GST. The 03 still has warranty until July. Any opinions assuming both were well taken care of? Any differences I should be aware of between an 02 and 03? Maintenance concerns between an auto and a stick?

Thanks a bunch.

Oh, and the other concern I have is tires, as soon as I get a car I'll be driving from S.Ontario to N.Alberta and thus assume I should get winter tires. I've heard the tires for this car are expensive, can I just stud all seasons? I really have no idea.

Manual or automatic is up to you. In either case make sure to have the car checked independently (that is by your garage) to avoid cars that have been repaired after accidents or other invisible problems. Things to check on the 03 manual: why is the price so high; what is covered in the protection plan; do you really want this costly protection. Things to check on the 02 automatic with 85K: has the timing belt been replaced (normally done at 96K and worth over $500); what condition are the brakes (could require replacement especially front brakes); is there complete service documentation on the vehicle; are winter tires included. Depending on its condition $8500 might not be a bad deal.

Regarding the tires, for fellow Canucks I would definitely suggest winter tires with separate steel wheels. They are not expensive; my 14" tires and wheels have lasted for the last 6 winters and they are a must have. The original Dunlops wear very quickly; you may want to consider another brand that has a longer life span.